Further, lower stage volume also makes it easier to get the vocals “out front” because there’s less bleed-through of the instruments.
Nothing makes the average club-goer happier than being able to hear the vocals.
And, I can crank up the guitar leads to any volume wanted/needed without worrying about feedback or bleed through. Finally, running one less cable on the stage never hurts either.
Of course, there’s one thing that’s consistent in the club world: nothing is consistent. We also regularly play on an outdoor stage at Disney’s Pleasure Island entertainment and shopping complex in Orlando. This stage is as large (if not larger) as many used for big-time concerts.
Obviously a single 12-inch Marshall cabinet is not ideal for this situation because it limits where the guitar player can go and still hear himself (unless he’s wearing in-ear monitors, and that’s a whole other story).
So here, we use a four-stack of 12-inch Marshall cabinets, meeting these needs, in addition to bestowing “rock star status” while not changing my mix.
We also open for major acts on a regular basis, and while these can be “big” shows, as the opener we’re limited in terms of space, time and soundcheck. Usually we get a line check and someone says go, and then it’s either panic or start pushing faders.
The cabinet simulator provides a good starting point; I know what’s coming even if I’ve never worked with a particular system. With the keys and bass also running direct, and the players sending me the same signal every time, it allows me to run up their faders and dial them in almost immediately, in turn letting me concentrate more on vocals and drums.
Another benefit to the cabinet simulator is cost. I’ve seen them priced from about $40 to a couple hundred bucks. (Compared to the cost of a 4 x 12-inch Marshall stack, you can’t beat it!)
And if, perchance, the guitar player doesn’t have a good sounding cabinet on stage, we can still get a decent sound in the house.
Right now you might be saying, “Yeah, O.K., this makes sense. But how do I talk the guitar player into giving up his Marshall stack?”
You probably can’t. But you can still use the cabinet simulator to get rid of the extra mic on stage and help with consistency.
If you think he’ll have a problem sending you a signal from a cabinet simulator, encourage him to give it a try at rehearsal first. (And as a little added ammunition, show him this article!)
The goal is to put the mix more in the hands of the sound person. We all know that most club mixes are the combination of stage and house sound.
Reducing the stage volume translates to a better, more consistent mix throughout the room.
Tim Andras has more than two decades of experience working with live sound, both in touring and worship.